On the morning of Jan. 14, 20-year-old women decked out in brightly colored kimono scrambled to catch trains to take them to ceremonies across the country to mark Coming of Age Day.

The day's related ceremonies, targeted at young men and women who have or are turning 20, celebrate the transition to adulthood with speeches by local officials reminding attendees to appreciate their parents and instructing them on their new societal responsibilities. Most young people, however, really just focus on taking pictures with their friends.

Meanwhile, at a small rental space in Tokyo's Suginami Ward, I joined a group of 40 women (and a couple of men) who are currently knee-deep in those societal responsibilities. They had gathered to discuss actions they could take concerning a recently published article by the tabloid magazine Weekly Spa! that ranked universities in order of how "sexually easy" their female students are.